Hi DTs,

Time to up the bling factor again. After a little mishap this Sat I was thinking metal. Nokon aluminum cable housing for shifters. Anyone know if they're any good? On that note Goodrich makes some nice metal brake lines as well. And it's all got to be compatible with the Saint gruppo for me (Goodrich only mentions M800, not the new M810s I have put on, no specifics from Nokon). There's gearheads here, I know, so maybe y'all can spill the beans?

DM

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Obey gravity. It's the law!

There is actually a article about the nokon housings in this months issue of MBA.

They look sweet!

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never stop....

As a bike mechanic I can honestly say that they are the most overpriced pieces of shit out there. I have installed many sets both on road and mtn. They last a good while on road bikes but considering the harsh conditions that mtn. bikes see, stick with traditional cables. (they gunk up fast)

Spend the money you saved on tubes/Gu/beer.

Well, I think bling for the sake of bling is worthless unless there's a good functional improvement, and then better appearance is a bonus. But just to display $$$...? Say no, my friends.

Anyhow, I have used a less expensive version of the Nokon metal bead or ferrule housing, whatever you want to call it. I put Aztec Powerlines brake cables on my old bike with BB7 mech brakes, and there was a big improvement in rear braking power, less so in the front. They are fully lined and I have had no problems with gunking up (I think Nokons are fully lined too -- not sure how they gunk up -- but I defer to Ben's greater experience).

For shifters a new XTR cable is so crisp I don't see how they could be better, but theoretically they could be I guess.

That's my $.02. Nokon comes in colors! Try 'em and let us know what you think.

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Thus, if we are to understand the world, we should live somewhere between judgement and amazement — Alfredo Lopez Austin

My bouncy bike is a gen one Fisher Cake that has some pretty tight bends for the shift cables, so I put Nokon on the bike several years ago, since the multi-bead design is inherently more flexible than standard housing. Of course, it's also compressionless and looks so amazing that I have to beat off the MTB groupie chicks like wild dogs on a chihuahua. I even noticed Old Dog Dan looknig at me strangely once, but I attrributed that to my skirt at the time.

The Nokons (and the knock offs that are on sale at Price Point) are fully lined. Mine have never gunked up, and I ride through stream crossings, dust and even mud unless there's an on-trail bypass.

If you want the Nokons or similar for looks, they're cool. Mine are black and you can't tell what they are, though. If you want them because they're lighter than standard housing, you'll save weight, and they work great. If you want them for tight bends in your routing, they are the bomb. They're overpriced, though, so grit your teeth.